Saluting Snoots, Close ups and Sat Nav Domes

Staff · Issue 141, Nov/Dec 2024 · pp. 4–5

Products mentioned: Magic Tube, Nauticam SMC, Nikonos 35mm lens

Editorial Peter Rowlands peter@uwpmag.com Saluting Snoots I think it’s fair to say that underwater photography equipment accessories start out as an attempt to sell us more ‘gear’; something to help us take different images that will stand out from the crowd in competitions but discarded when too many similar shots kept popping up. A good example is the Magic Tube whose images initially caught the eye but then became tedious as it was extremely hard to find a subject that suited the technique. And yet the lack of success in competitions didn’t seem to deter entrants. The snoot, on the other hand, hit the scene with a bang with a shot from Keri Wilk entitled ‘Stargazer Eyes’ and after an early dodgy period when people just shot the wrong subjects, the techique lasted as more and more photographers chose the right subjects and different angles. The result is that nearly all flashguns/strob…